Monsanto successfully sued a farmer for patent infringement on the basis that pollen from their genetically modified seed drifted into his field, pollenating his crop, so later when the farmer harvested and sold seed from that crop he knowingly benefited from Monsanto’s patent. Nice job, Monsanto! Way to go! Contaminate this farmer’s crop with your freaky seed and now you sue him? He should have sued Monsanto for contamination instead.
As it was, Monsanto won judgment against the farmer. This is wrong on so many levels it just baffles me. A better solution would be to require all modified seed to be quarantined so no natural wind drift would not occur. In other words, contain the devil seed in huge tents if you must, but keep it contained.
The court’s decision in draft form: Monsanto v. Schmesier.
I don’t want Monsanto in my vegetable garden but soon there may be no choice as the AP reported in Jan. 2005, Monsanto plans to purchase Seminis, a major seed supplier:
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Agricultural biotechnology giant Monsanto Co. said Monday it will buy vegetable and fruit seed company Seminis Inc. for roughly $1 billion in cash, broadening its portfolio of seeds and tapping into the trend of healthier diets. Monsanto said it will assume an additional $400 million in debt by Seminis, the Oxnard, Calif.-based supplier of more than 3,500 seed varieties to commercial fruit and vegetable growers, dealers, distributors and wholesalers in more than 150 countries.
Source and more discussion: http://www.gardenweb.com
